JAMMU: A 150 m tunnel built along the International Border (IB) to facilitate the infiltration of terrorists into Jammu and cashmere since Pakistan was detected by Border security force (BSF) in the Hiranagar sector of Kathua district on Wednesday, authorities said.
This is the third tunnel unearthed by alert border guards along the IB in the twin districts of Samba and Kathua in the Jammu region in the past six months and the ninth in the past decade.
“A BSF patrol group detected a tunnel almost 150 m long during an anti-tunnel operation in the Bobiyaan village of Hirnagar sector this morning,” BSF Inspector General, Jammu border, NS Jamwal told reporters in the place. He, along with other senior officers, rushed to Bobiyaan shortly after the tunnel was detected.
“The opposite of this side is Pakistan’s Shakergarh, which is known to have launch pads and terrorist bases. We have supplies available with us because we are sensitive to whatever is happening here,” the BSF official said, assuring that All the necessary measures exist to counter Pakistani designs.
He said that the sandbags with Pakistani markings are evidence of the Pakistani establishment’s hand in the construction of this tunnel, which is identical to previously detected tunnels that are 25 to 30 meters deep with two to three feet in diameter.
When asked if this tunnel was recently dug or if it is old, the BSF officer said it is a matter of investigation.
However, he said that some of the sandbags recovered from the tunnel are a 2016-17 year of manufacture, suggesting that it is an old tunnel.
“We were looking for this tunnel for a long time and its detection was the effort of the anti-tunnel operation that is underway along the IB. You can tell if there had been any infiltration through this tunnel in the past after the completion of our investigation, “he said.
Jamwal, however, said that BSF is certain that there had been no infiltration through this tunnel in the recent past.
“We are doing some development work here and have tightened security in view of the anti-tunnel unit,” he said.
Referring to the murder of two Pakistani infiltrators in the Surankote area of the Poonch district and an encounter in Srinagar Last month, the IG said that Pakistan is always looking for an opportunity to push terrorists to Jammu Kashmir, either through the Line of Control (LoC) or IB.
“They continue with the attempts but we are fully alert to the situation. Our state of alert resulted in the detection of underground tunnels and the downing of a Hexa-helicopter loaded with a huge cache of weapons and ammunition,” he said, adding border protection. The grid comprising the army, the BSF and the police are working together to thwart Pakistan’s attempts to push terrorists and weapons this way.
Last year, the BSF detected two such tunnels in the Samba district on August 28 and November 22 following the successful infiltration of two groups of terrorists who were subsequently neutralized in separate encounters along the Jammu National Highway. -Srinagar while on their way to Kashmir in trucks.
While three Pakistani terrorists affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) were killed in a shootout in the Nagrota area near Jammu after they were intercepted aboard a Kashmir-bound truck in January last year, another group Pakistani terrorists armed with weapons and a large group of grenades were killed in the same place on 19 November.
Investigations suggested that both groups infiltrated this side through underground tunnels.
Meanwhile, Pakistani Rangers violated the ceasefire by resorting to unprovoked shooting at outposts and villages in the area of the Gurnam border post in the Hiranagar sector, officials said.
The shooting from across the border began around 10 p.m. Tuesday, prompting strong and effective retaliation from the BSF, they said, adding that cross-border shooting between the two sides continued until 2.25 a.m. Wednesday. , but there were no reports of damage on the Indian side. .
On video: BSF detects 150m tunnel along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir
.
